Transit chassis cab v6 or pinto?

[callum]

Hi all i have just bought a 1996 transit luton. I'm selling the luton body to eventually run it as a chassis cab with a small flat bed.


I want to v6 it either essex or colonge but they're hard to come by. A pinto though is easy to buy and tune but would a spec'd pinto ever have enough grunt to push it along well?


I'm also looking at having ago at flipping the axel. Ive seem a thread on here showing sone pics, i understand what needs to be done but any pointers on getting it all ligned up correctly etc?


I have got sone pics but cant upload to the site from my phone sorry!

Cheers

[composimmonite]

I had a 2.0 Pinto Luton. Couldn't "pull the skin off a rice pudding" and economy dropped to sub 10 MPG when loaded. My vote therefore is either a V6 (or maybe a 2.3 Pinto out of a Galaxy ?)

[igor]

Would a 302 Windsor V8 fit? I've seen the odd V8 conversion done on Mk2 Transits but know very little about the newer ones. Also a 3.3 or 4.1 litre crossflow six like XC Falcons had went okay in the Mk2 I believe. Might have to cut the firewall or extend the nose though.

[callum]

Yes see with taking the body off I'm losing a lot of weight and less drag, what i was concerned with was wether a decent specd pinto, say for eg cams maybe bored out and a lightened flywheel with a decent carb(s) wether it would have enough torque. I don't know if anyone knows about the gearing on the axel because thtll obviously have an effect. Its a six stud single wheel axel. I have been offered a rover v8 with no box but its the fuel consumption of one that puts me off. Thanks guys!

[sowen]

I think you need to look at your driving taste and the vehicle itself to decide how big the engine needs to be. If you like revving the nuts off stuff then the smaller engine may suit, but if you want good driveability then you should be hunting out a larger capacity engine. What was the original engine, and do you know the axle ratio?

[welshpug]

rv8 wont drink that much, they do about 18-20 in a two ton disco1 bolted to an auto box.

that is injected however, not carb!

[VIP]

Look for the 4.0l V6 out of an Explorer.

[steveg]

As said it's the drag from the luton body that causes the biggest problem. I remember my father hiring a Luton Mk2 many years ago and even at a young age I knew something wasn't quite right under the bonnet. It turned out the hire company had got fed up with fitting new Pinto's every time they got blown up and fitted a 3.0L V6 in it. It didn't go any faster because of the gearing but up to when we had it at least it had survived.

I've got a Mk2 County and thats got a 2.0L pinto. It isn't too bad but was greatly improved by fitting a twin choke carb.

The Transit Forum is a good place for info fordtransit.org/forum/index.php?sid=cac4cb5ac32a24c5f610adaf85d611d2

[colnerov]

Hi, If the Pinto in the van is the original one then it will be different in that it will be a down rated engine with low compression pistons which are heavier and more robust plus will have a heavier flywheel. All this will mean it will be unhappy revving and will pull away easier at low revs. So just putting an ordinary car engine will see more power and drive ability. Fords did offer the Essex V6 as an option but again down rated and truthfully no more than the Pinto. I'm a fan of the V6 as they're pretty bombproof but getting parts is not always easy. The Pinto is much better served parts wise, but tuning them too much will not help if you are loading the vehicle up with weight. For that you would be better with more capacity and the torque that comes with it.

Colin

[dodgerover]

May 19, 2015 1:12:58 GMT igor said:

Would a 302 Windsor V8 fit? I've seen the odd V8 conversion done on Mk2 Transits but know very little about the newer ones. Also a 3.3 or 4.1 litre crossflow six like XC Falcons had went okay in the Mk2 I believe. Might have to cut the firewall or extend the nose though.

The Aussie 6's need bulkhead mods to fit and they aren't exactly common in the UK sadly, small block v8's fit, not sure about bulkhead modes though, a big block definately needs cylinders in the cab.

The pinto isn't too bad it all depends on what you want from it - I run one as a daily in my van.

[dodgerover]

Rover V8 is unlikely to be any worse than a pinto on fuel in the real world unless you drive with a lead right foot

[joe90]

I'd opt for a Rover v8, probably give you similar mpg to the DI that will be in there now, there is a guy on the transit forum selling adaptor plates to bolt the rover engine to the mt75 transit box, might be worth a look.

Bryan

[carat 3.6]

May 19, 2015 7:47:37 GMT VIP said:

Look for the 4.0l V6 out of an Explorer.

That's the way to go.

[dodgerover]

May 19, 2015 7:47:37 GMT VIP said:

Look for the 4.0l V6 out of an Explorer.

Any idea what bellhousing bolt pattern they use? Do they need an aftermarket ignition ie megasquirt or similar or can you cannibalise the explorer ECU and loom.

Incidentally I fetched a pallet of bricks today in the back of mine and it made not the slightest difference to performance which suggests my pinto is probably more torquey than I get it credit for.

[VIP]

I believe they are a Cologne.

[igor]

At my first job back in the '80s we had a Mk2 Transit van with the 2.0 litre Pinto motor. It would do 80 mph empty and still do close to the same with 2 tons in the back.